Ingenious Farm Hacks: How to Make Landscape Fabric Bed Covers
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- čas přidán 31. 01. 2016
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Learn the secrets of crafting landscape fabric bed covers in this step-by-step guide! Join Curtis Stone as he takes you through the process of creating effective and durable bed covers to protect your crops and enhance your gardening experience. Get ready to elevate your gardening game with this practical and informative tutorial!
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About Curtis Stone:
Curtis is one of the world’s most highly sought-after small farming educators. His book, The Urban Farmer, offers a new way to think about farming𑁋 one where quality of life and profitability coexist. Today, Curtis spends most of his time building his 40-acre off-grid homestead in British Columbia. He leverages his relationships with other experts to bring diverse content into the homes of gardeners and aspiring small farmers from around the world. Learn more at FromTheField.TV.
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...holy... Curtis! this just saved my whole life! Buying your book right freaking now!
Curtis I listened to you about landscape fabrics and silage tarps and I couldn't be happier with the results.
I recommend both to my customers all the time.
Really like the evolution of the production of the show itself. I'm just getting started, myself. Lots of inspiration here. Thanks!
That's friggin awesome. I like your torch rig. I'm such a fan of efficiency.
Thank you, I always learn so much from you. It saves me from reinventing the wheel
this videos are so helpful thank you so much for taking time out of your day to make these
Thanks for the knowledge Curtis, you're awesome!
Also, thank you for sharing all of your knowledge, it is taking me from the "I give up" stage to the " I can do this" stage.
+Mary Campagna-pinto
There is a hugh difference between "black weed-block cloth" and "landscape fabric"....
+MVIsland
ooppps, sorry, meant for this to go under Sara D
I already use the product and have a wooden jig for burning the holes, plus have enough ground cover to make all the rows I have going on this year.
I was going to invest in plasticulture, but i can save that for down the road! Thank you!!
Always Great videos from Curtis !
Thank you ! rc
That looks great! I am thinking of doing something like this in my yard :)
I have been looking for a fabric most of what I have been using is so thin I just ordered and received a roll of the Sun Belt and I enjoyed using it today and cant wait to get rid of the old fabric I have been using this is so much better to use thanks for the info and I'm using the stencil idea also lol enjoy your videos I live in Tampa so I don't have a winter season for the most part. cant wait to get my green house built.
Excellent! Thank you.
Innovative but simple. Useful vid
Hi Curtis, Thank you for being a great example of profitable, low start-up entrepreneurship in agriculture (+ media, education, coaching, etc). I hope for you to keep up the progressions you're making personally and in business. In regards to landscape fabric and growing Salanova lettuce: I am planning on experimenting with white or grey landscape fabrics. [If] these fabrics reduce soil and ambient air temperatures, would you expect better production (growth rates, resistance to bolting) during summer months? I will let you know my results.
Good idea I`m going to try this next season thank :-)
Also suppose I should add that as I have livestock I have greatly enchriched my soil with composted manure, but along with that comes weed seeds. Last year I mainly used rabbit manure with the shavings..I used the paper feed bags I collected throughout the year as the sheet mulching then laid more rabbit manure over the top of this to hold it down. This definitely squelched out the weed seeds below the bags and as rabbit manure doesn't contain a lot of seed from ingestion that was helpful but the blown in seeds were still there. The bags have broken down nicely already with the rain and snow which is another bonus.
Great idea!
Very Innovative !!!
So cool!
Thank so much for the info!!!
Love this dude!
Very good idea I like it so much I was worried of using plastic bags cos my farm is big
Thanks for the tip, we will give it a try and see how it goes. Hours and hours of weeding is just too much, when you also have to spend time harvesting, selling, marketing, etc., Maybe we will try this on some strawberries too.
Brilliant
Thank you!
Thanks for the tip I will have to use this technique for my lettuce beds next year as all are in the same distance 10inc.
+Raf's Kitchen Garden I do lettuce at 6" and kale at 10".
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Can you make a video on starting plants? Do you start from seed or buy seedlings?
Buying seedlings is very expensive. you can not make it as a market gardener if you do. if you have only a very tiny space - such as a couple of planter boxes on an apartment balcony, it might make sense to buy seedlings, but even for the average home gardener starting your own is far more cost effective. Another time when it can make sense to purchase seedlings is if you absolutely do not have anywhere to start seeds, or not enough room, and you want to try out new varieties, for example a wide variety of tomatoes. This can work very well if you have friends who are market gardeners and they have more seedlings than they can plant out.
Thank you for this. Was wondering what spacing you would use for tomatoes? Thanks again.
Great idea! You can also save your time by using a plastic mulch roll cover hole puncher.
I like that flame gun!
Yes I am going to this way of gardening too. My question is how do you handle seed planting .I have herd of different ways , but I would like to know what you salty?
Hi - Curious if you have any recommendations if I use a roller to make holes for garlic and then try to lay the fabric on top. And then of course harvesting - would probably need to pull the garlic out through the bottom unless I made all the holes big enough to yank out.
Rock on.
I made a wooden template, and testet it yesterday with a tiger torch. Got holes, but not as smooth as yours.
I'm wondering if you have a spacing chart that tells you what spacing to use and what size holes are necessary for each type of crop? How many templates did you make?
I'm really interested in this idea. I'm so sick of weeds ruining my garden year after year. I got topsoil from another person in town here and the weeds that came with the soil are destroying my garden. I need to get this under control and fast.
Do you use weeding landscaping for everything, including direct seedings? Or how do you maintain weeds coming up from those that you direct seed?
Curtis, do you also use plastic mulch sometimes or only landscape fabrics? Is there a reason why you would prefer landscape fabric to plastic mulch? Thank you so much !
my back thanks you for the tip, I have goats head AKA puncture weed that I am trying to get rid of so this should help for my new farm, I pulled out 1,000 of them last summer to get the land ready. Also a tip for everyone I found a used tiller for 200.00 from a local rental yard that is closing up.
If you live anywhere near Idaho, those goat heads (puncture weeds) will be back. They are vicious!!
What do you do on beds you directly seed in the ground?
But how would you water the plants since the plastic stops water? Would you run irrigation tubing below the plastic?
would it be a good idea to use garden beds?
G'day Curtis, do you have any problems with water runoff during rain periods with your landscape fabric?
Nice
why didn't I watch this video 2 weeks ago, before I planted my onions. Cause I did 5 row of the 6 inch on center, an had 250' of the fabric here, but figured it was to much work cutting that many holes, this is by far the best way.
Did you eventually start folding it to save time? Or is there some unforeseeable factor i've yet to imagine about doing it this way?
I really like this idea and it makes a lot of good sense. But I just have in the back of my mind the question of can we quantify the impact on the environmental impact with using these plastics? I'm thinking about an idea that Elliot Coleman spoke about but in relationship to plastic coverings on greenhouses and having to take them down and dispose of plastic products periodically. I am very interested in this method an we are trying it on our farm. I just subscribed and we are trying to get up to the 21st century here in Central Maine! Keep up the good work.
where do you get purchase the torch rig?
I'm in the process of doing this to my beds. Is there any danger to flaming out the holes where they will ultimately lay and the crops will be planted?
How do you keep them from getting the sun with the black fabric. Attracting heat ?
EACH COUNTRY HAS THOUSAND GUY LIKE YOU, PLANET EARTH NEVER SEE HUNGER AGAIN
How is the plastic secured to the ground ?
How does the spring clamp attach to the end? It looks like the clamp is only around the can itself. What holds it to the device? Does the clamp cover both the can and the device?
Does it works this fabric with sprinkers irrigation?
Where do you buy this landscape fabric and silage tarps in Canada? I noticed Farmer's Friend doesn't ship the silage tarps to Canada. Also where do you get your impact sprinklers? Are you now using the wobblers instead?
my land has only 6 inches of topsoil and that's mostly clay. after that it's rocks (live in Kentucky on a mountain). do your ideas work in raised beds? which way is the most cost effective for raised beds?
hi,
i'm from Mauritius and i have a plot of land that has been unused for years. i have already cleaned it. i am currently unemployed like many of my friends in my country. i'' make a video of my plot so that i can have some ideas from you.
where do i get the fabrics from? and what are the size of the beds?
curious to know, whats the negative effect of never having weeds in terms of the weeds bringing locked nutrients back to the surface?
When you first measure out the roll for the length of your bed, do you cut the end with scissors or burn that as well so it won't unravel?
+Matt Stone I cut them into common my bed lengths. If one is a few feet too long when I put it on, I just roll it up at the end.
Could you use just a regular plastic tarp?
Hi mate. I’m in Australia crowing sunflowers. Battling the weeds. How do you think this would go with hundreds of sunflowers?
Seems like the black would do well at helping to warm the soil on cooler days (fall & spring), but that it could be detrimental in the heat of the summer. Do you have any thoughts on that, as far as using it in a climate where temps are regularly above 90 for parts of June through early September?
+Jody Box That was my thought too, but it worked fine during summer. I mean lettuce will bolt faster in the summer regardless. We always get less cuts of greens during the summer though.
I have bindweed throughout my yard. I tried doing something similar, but with a white weed barrier. The weeds still grew underneath. I'll try your technique and use a black weed barrier. Hope it works- bindweed is some nasty stuff!
+Sara D You can't smother out bind weed, it'll survive under there forever. You can dig it out and mitigate it, but you'll never get rid of it. The only way to get rid of it is with a herbicide. I'm not saying you should do that, it's just the only way I know of. I have recently tried using vinegar, salt, and dish soap as a more natural herbicide. Maybe try that. Let me know how it goes. Just google it for the recipe.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thanks, I'll try that. I've been hesitant to use chemicals as I have free range chickens. I might just have to treat one area of the yard each year and close it off the 'the ladies'.
+Sara D
There is a hugh difference between "black weed-block cloth" and "landscape fabric"....
Do you have any videos on WHERE to sell the produce? I live in a rural area, seems 'everybody' gardens. How do I make CONTRACTS with grocery stores? How do I find the plastics to put them in? Labels? What's your secret to washing them? Do you wash all types of greens? What are the prices? What do you use to refrigerate in transit?
Are your profit claims net or gross?
All those questions are specifically in my book. If you keep watching my channel and use the search function, you'll find most of your answers.
Would this approach be applicable to long season (4-5 months) stored for winter veggies like carrots, onions and beets?
+Лесная Ферма / Виктор Чиркин No, definitely not anything direct seeded.
cutting hole method no, but you could lay the fabric so that its edge was close to the planted row. Even roll it back a little an then fold it back when it has made it way out of the ground.
How do you secure down the landscape fabric? It looks like maybe you staple every 6 ft or so... but we found the staples really tore up our fabric and reduced the lifespan. any advice??
+Slow Nate I just use pins. I don't find they tear it up really.
Bad Assed!!!!!!!!!!!!
Weeds are a problem in our organic fresh herbs especially when it comes to rocket and coriander. Thank you for the video.
My concern is the soil temperature under a black, sun absorbing material. At what temps have you found the soil to be at?
+teealan I don't monitor it. The crop grows well, that's all I know.
Thanks for this Curtis
As we expand our urban plot here in Ontario we spend way to much time weeding. Do you have nettles there?.... nasty little buggers. I couldn't believe how much time it took last season.
Thanks for sharing
Jeff Mitts
+Jeff Mitts Fabric should help you there a bit, but it depends on how bad it is.
+Jeff Mitts Have you tried eating the nettles? Supposed to be very nutritious... once you cook the sting out of them.
***** I've heard of nettle tea. I'll hold off for now. I'm going to stick with smothering them with fabric.
Do you have a video showing how you make the flame weeder that you also use to burn holes into your landscape fabric or tarps?
Curtis , what weight of fabric are you using? I'm looking at the 5 oz... 6' W x 250' L , it's pricey.
By the way , purchased your book and the extras package, great info!
Thanks
Jeff
+Jeff Mitts It's called Sunbelt. I mostly use the 3' wide stuff. That's all I know. I think I pay $60 for a 300' roll. Worth every penny.
what is the brand and thickness i.e oz of the landscape fabric that you use Curtis?
Nice idea. Do you have any problems watering through a bed cover like this?
+Jar Crocker None at all. It's breathable.
+Jar Crocker
This is a great product. I have it in my greenhouse on the floor/ground. Been in there for 5 years and still going strong. I water all my plants in the greenhouse with a hose, water lands on the landscape fabric and goes right through it. It comes in different "weights/grades" .....lasts for many years...only downfall is it is expensive. I get mine at wholesale prices....but if you can even buy a little of it each year, still worth the investment.
Thanks for this Curtis. One question... When you place the fabric on the bed, do you use anything to hold it down?
Landscape pins.
Thanks!
Great video. But aren't weeds scarce anyways because you don't rototill? I wonder if it would be worth it in the HR method to do cover crops. They would help the soil and bring nutrition as well however then you have a bed of things you can't really sell. But at the same time you are benefiting the plants. Sharpening the saw so to speak.
Weeds are always blowing there way in my friend. Yes, they are less scarce on our farm for a variety of different reasons, but we still get weeds. The only good weeds are no weeds!
I would love to know your spacing for Swiss Chard?
+daniel de sousa 10 inch centres.
Rad! Thanks
great tip Sorry I wasnt able to go to you classes or evening talks finaces and transportation just wouldnt allow it .
can you do a vid about that shallow tiller ?
+Walt Lars I've got one made. It'll go up soon.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone. thanks
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone speaking of roto tillers you mentioned a BCS tiller do you perfer that brand over others or just the size of 30 inches ?
Any suggesting on how to use this for carrot beds to reduce weeding?
+wolfmooch Doing a stale seed bed before planting is the only way I know. I don't use fabrics on carrot beds.
I have a question how do you fertilize your plants with landscape fabric down.
Before you lay it down.
Just watched this video and the video where you make the walkway strips. Just wondering why you don't use a wider fabric?
Because some crops don't have fabrics. Like if they're direct seeded.
Makes sense. Thank you for the reply. Love the book too.
Do you use this on every single one of your beds and how do you plant through it? I'm sorry I'm so clueless with this stuff! I just now started getting into it!
+KristalKiller Bunny You'll see. Keep watching!
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone I watched it all the way through a few times and I still don't know what you mean by transplanting the crops into there. >.< or how you even did it. That's where I'm lost
Transplanting means planting seedlings in the holes :). Likely he would have started the seeds in a greenhouse.
Hi Curtis, can you direct seed through landscape fabric? Thanks, Rick
You could if you planted by hand. I've done it before.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thanks Curtis, really appreciate the time you take to answer questions
How do you attach the landscape fabric to your beds?
landscape pins
do u let the land rest or do you just keep planting?
+Jacob Patterson it rests in the winter for the most part. Though we keep some winter crops going. Videos on that too.
What fabric do u recommend at a good cost
Dewitt Sunbelt.
Do u use the same stencils for every crop, carrots, cucumber, radishes? If so do u just put a pinch of sead in each hole?
Michele E: These row covers (with holes) are intended for transplanted crops (head type lettuce, etc) .. so same type stencil just make different spaced holes, based on intended crop. also, he has video on seeding planting beds that mention the specific crop he's planting (carrots, radishes, baby greens etc) ..
Where do you find the sunbelt Landscape fabric? I have tried all my local wholesalers and no one has it and what they do have is very expensive. Thanks
I buy it locally.
There's a website called 'Google' you could try. Making youtube videos is challenging enough without people being hyper critical.
Ding Dong. Click this link: lmgtfy.com/?q=sunbelt+fabrics
www.catalogclearance.com/products/dewittsunbeltgroundcover__wovengroundcover.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyvXPBRD-ARIsAIeQeoH334jyN8q-M_s09BoVlZMSEZYGCbKIzL3ictsPhZYZ-u8uIWxQltYaAsYnEALw_wcB
SB3300 Sunbelt Ground Cover - 3'x300'
www.catalogclearance.com/cart.aspx
Wow that was hard...
Instead of using a 3ft X100 peace Can you use a 15ft X100 and have the same affect to gardening
Sure. Whatever works.
all the video's i saw had 3ft pieces and then dirt and on and on Wanted to do this but didnt know the reason for that???? Didnt want my tomato pepper and eggplants getting diseases if this was the reason
I use 3' pieces because they fit my 30" bed perfectly.
sometimes wide sheets flap uncontrollably in the wind, unless stones water jugs sand bags are employed
fuck yeah!
Not all weed block fabric is created equal. What brand of weed block fabric do you use?
I do not borrow land, I own it and I have been trying to make it profitable but have failed miserably thus far for a multitude of reasons, one of which is not enough time for everything. i have been searching for an alternative to using cardboard as it is so time consuming, this sounds great even if it is more expensive, time is money. However I have seen some information regarding landscape fabric being bad for the soil. There are a few videos here on CZcams about it. What are your thoughts?
+Mary Capagna-pinto - yes, I have the same question. Plastic is toxic & then burning it on top of that probably makes it even more toxic. :(
Also what about mulching which I thought (I'm still very much a novice) one needs to make the soil nutrient dense.
I don't see how that can be done with covering up the soil with plastic.
I'm going to ask around.
Yes Burnt Plastic will give you cancer.
yes definitely do not recycle your old row covers into that shredded salad mix. It doesn't make for a healthy fibre supplement. Also iron is a hazard too but for some reason we continue to make garden tools with it, solder wires with it, remove wrinkles from our favorite clothes and cook in it. When used as intended these products are quite safe. So don't be throwing out those cast iron frying pans, knives, rakes, poly-cotton sheets, toilet seats, and landscape fabrics; they all have a safe purpose, although eating them isn't one of them.
I can't help but wonder if this tarp were white instead of black. Would color have an advantage?
+zero7negative it doesn't work as well because the weeds underneath keep growing. We tried it. If it were white on one side and black on the bottom, that would be perfect.
Sounds like a business opportunity for the right outfit. Thanks for the reply.
Curtis, can you get away with less than 6 inch spacing if you had to? Say for salanova incised? or any others?
Maybe, but I don't see the point. There's no increase in yields to go that tight.
As a startup I was trying to see if I could do more with less space, but I realized after I asked the question that less than 6 inches, since you are burning the holes, can probably ruin the fabric. Thank you for your quick reply brother. Many blessings to you and yours.
It would. To go more dense on the fabric would eliminate the need for the fabric.
hmm, so if I plant them more densely I may not need the fabric?
Be careful when doing this inside a structure. Fumes from the melting/burning plastic are toxic - make sure you have excellent ventilation and/or wear a respirator (not a dust/surgical mask) with an appropriate cartridge filter that can remove the fumes.
Is this giving off toxic vapors? I can't imagine that melted polpropylene is safe, but maybe it is? What are your thoughts?
Would ground cover work as good or better than the landscape fabric? Were looking to purchase 6000ft and want to be sure we use the right stuff for longevity even with the higher price.
+Shirley Lamontagne It might be in your case, but certainly not for me.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone I think we figured it out, its ground cover, a heaver weave that has lines and is uv treated, nurseries use this outdoors to cover an area and put potted plants on, this products comes 3-5 once rating. Regular landscape fabric is flat in appearance with no lines or UV treated and is made to bury with a under 3 once rating, please correct me if I'm wrong..cheers.
Sounds about right. It's called Sunbelt, that's about all I know. Best of luck.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone Thanks for your support on this great video, theres just one thing were wondering and I'm sure some others too, do you find it hard to put transplants in the small holes like salad ?, do have a system or some kind of tool you use?, thanks again for your time.
Not at all. These holes are about 2 inches wide. We either use a small narrow trowel or our fingers to make a hole and push in the plug.
great idea. any reason I couldn't just make a slit instead of burning holes?
Try it and you'll see within 5 minutes. ;)
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone I do the slits in plastic row covers and it works, I did it for peppers, even to seed cucumber, can you tell us why you dont like the slit?
If the plastic is well anchored on either side, I can actually use my tree-planting shovel right through it, the only slits I make is with the shovel at transplant. Though this probably wouldnt work with the landscape fabric.
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone
Sorry, I don't get what you mean. ???
+Miguel Laroche if you don't burn holes or may i say melt it you will have a mess cause its a woven product as its not a plastic sheet
What's the name of the manufacturer? That stuff looks thick and tough, almost like tarp. I did a couple of test beds last year with this technique. Without a doubt, it is a huge time saver and adds to the quality of the veg by removing competition as well. My problem was that cats or raccoons would tear the fabric I used just by walking on it. Our soil is very loamy, makes for a soft cushion and their little feet would compress the fabric and then puncture it.
The brand is Sunbelt.
why would someone dislike this..
+itz Machiavelli I know. I was wondering the same thing myself;)
+Urban Farmer Curtis Stone I have 1/2 acre 30min outside of a major city transportation will be a Prius hybrid hopefully. so decent transportation cost. and 1/4 acre is on South side of property. any suggestions for plants for non direct sunlight so I could get full use of all land. and fast growth high profit produce. I'm good at radishes what else?
+itz Machiavelli and where can one get a hole torcher and how much and where can one get the fabric.
ha how do you water the garden
depends. Watch my videos on irrigation.
I've had this fabric fall apart due to not being UV stable. Is that an issue for you??
+FlowerGrower Smith no. It's UV resistant. Been using the same stuff going on 5 years for some.
Where can I find a ready-made torch rig?